Illuminated dial clock



Dec. 31, 1940.

G. H. STEPHENS ETAL ILLUMINATED DIA L CLOCK Filed Dec. 4, 1937 Patented Dec. 31, 1940 ILLUMINATED man CLOCK George H. Stephens, Glencoe, and Victor Sussin,

Chicago, Ill., assignors to Hammond Instrument Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application December 4, lean-serial No. 178,034

4 Claims.

Our invention relates generally to clocks, and more particularly to an improved form of clock case having an illumniated dial.

It is an object of our invention to provide an improved clock having a dial which'is uniformly illuminated so as to facilitate reading the time therefrom under adverse as well as normal lighting conditions.

A further object is to provide an improved case for clocks in which the dial is illuminated, and in which the case proper is made of a single stamping.

Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the clock;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section view there of taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the clock case with the back cover removed; and

Figure 4 is a quarter sectional view similar to Figure 2 to an enlarged scale.

The casing of the clock is made of a single sheet metal stamping which is formed to provide a generally frusto-conical light diffusing reflector II), a generally cylindrical wall (2, a circular frame H, and a generally cylindrical outer wall l6. Suitably secured to the wall I! by means of brackets l8, are a plurality of lamps 20. These lamps are positioned adjacent openings 22 formed in the cylindrical wall I! of the stamping so as to illuminate the convex surface of the frusto- Conical portion ill. portion l0, and the illuminated surfaces of the cylindrical wall l2, front frame H and outer wall ii are preferably covered with a white, light diffus ng paint or other surface finish. so that the rays of light from the lamps 20 will be dispersed. and thus uniformly illuminate the dial 26. being pressed thereagainst by a channel shaped ring 30 which serves as a spacer for a sheet 32 of transparent glass. The glass 32, ring 30 and di l 26 are clampedin position by means of a ez l 34 which has a plurality of bent lugs 36, extendin through suitable apertures 38 formed at spaced intervals in the stamping forming the case.

A clock movement 40 is suitably secured o the frustn-conical reflector portion [0 of the stamp inc. at the rear side thereof, the movement being referably of such size as to lie completely within the conical space formed by the reflector portion Hi. The dial 26 and the reflector portion HI have central openings for the passage of the The convex surface of the The dial is seated against a shoulder 28.

(c1. a ia-2.1)

hand shafts of the clock, and the usual clock hands are attached to these shafts in the usual manner, being located between the dial 26 and the glass 32.

The clock movement is illustrated as of an electric type, but other types of movement could current are preferably led through an opening 44 formed in the frusto-conical portion In and through one of the apertures 22. By utilizing a resistance 42 in circuit with the lamps, the lamps may readily be operated somewhat below their rated voltage, and thus will have a very extended useful life. The lamp circuit only is opened and closed by means of the switch 43. Suitable ornamentation 46, may be attached to the sheet metal stamping forming the clock case. dial 26 is preferably of translucent milk-white or frosted glass having the numbers and minute markings printed or painted thereon.

The back of the clock is closed by a dust excluding cover 48 which may be of fiber or other suitable material, the cover being held against a shoulder 50 formed in the outer wall portion l6 by screws 52 or other suitable means.

All of the surfaces which are illuminated by the lamps 20 are light-diffusing so that the light is distributed over the surface of the dial 26 with great uniformity, and its appearance and legibility of the time indicia thereby improved. The case is a simple unitary stamping, and its cost therefore relatively low. Because of the design and arrangement of the reflector and movement, the overall depth or thickness of the case is not much greater than that of wall type clocks not provided with illuminated dials.

While we have disclosed our invention as embodied in a wall type clock, it may be utilized in various other forms of clocks. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications of our invention may be made without departing from the basic principles thereof. We therefore desire by the following claims to include within the scope of our invention all such similar forms thereof in which substantially the same results are obtained by substantially the same means.

We claim: 1. A clock, comprising a unitary stamping The a having a generally conical central portion, an apentured cylindrical portion extending forwardly from said conical portion, and an outer casing portion extending outwardly and rearwardly from said cylindrical portion; a plurality of lamps mounted in the space between said cylindrical portion and said outer portion of said stamping, and illuminating said reflector portion through the apertures formed in said cylindrical portion; and a translucent dial secured infront of said reflector portion.

2. A clock, comprising a unitary stamping having a circular channel shaped portion and a central generally conical reflector portion formed integrally therewith, a plurality of lamps located within the space formed by said channel shaped portion and arranged to illuminate the convex surface of said conically shaped reflector portion, a translucent dial secured over said reflector portion, a clock movement secured to the rear of said reflector portion and having hand carrying shafts extending through the centers of said dial and of said reflector portion, a plane glass, a spacer for holding said glass separated from said dial a suflicient distance to provide a space for the hands, and a bezel engaging said glass and having a plurality of securing lugs projecting through apertures in the channel shaped portion of said stamping.

3. A clock, comprising a unitary stamping having a generally convex central reflector portion, an apertured cylindrical portion extending forwardly from said conical portion, and an outer casing portion extending outerly and rearwardly from said cylindrical portion; a plurality of lamps mounted adjacent the apertures in said cylindrical portion and in the space between said cylindrical portion and said casing portion of said stamping, a translucent light diffusing dial in front of said reflector portion, a clock movement having hands in front of said dial, a glass sheet, and a bezel holding said glass sheet and said dial in spaced relation in front of said reflector portion.

4. A clock comprising a conical unitary stamping having a forwardly projecting conical reflector portion and having an apertured cylindrical wall portion extending forwardly from the base of said conical portion, a plurality of lamps se cured to said cylindrical wall portion on the cute side thereof, adjacent the apertures therein t illuminate the convex surface of said conical portion, a translucent dial, a clock mechanism secured within the conical space formed by said conical portion and having hand supporting arbors extending through the apex of said conical portion and through said translucent dial, and hands secured to said arbors and cooperating with said dial.

GEORGE H. STEPHENS. VICTOR SUSSIN. 

